Phil Jones: ‘I had to strip everything back – now management is my focus’

I learned so much from all the different managers I played for and the team-mates I played with, in lots of different competitions at club and international level. I have built up and stored all of that information, and feel I could use it to really help players and get them to the next level.

I’d like to think I’ve taken a bit from each manager and created my own coaching identity. I dislike the word ‘philosophy’ but I know the way I’d want my teams to play.

Like I say, though, from my own experience, what is paramount is an atmosphere and environment at your club where the players trust you and engage with you, and believe in what you are doing. If that isn’t there, then I don’t care how good you are tactically, because it won’t make a difference.

There is a way of managing players and I think Sir Alex Ferguson did it best. He knew exactly how to manage, or micro-manage, every single player – the ones he could have a pop at, and the ones who needed a little bit of love.

I’d like to think that is something I will get bang-on as a manager too, because I think as a player, all you want is honesty – that’s all I wanted anyway.

My coaching journey has started already because I worked with Manchester United’s academy while I was completing my Uefa A Licence last season, which I really enjoyed doing.

There are three stages of getting on a Pro Licence course, which starts in January, and I am on the last part now. Hopefully that will be really good for me, not just from the point of view of developing as a coach, but as a networking opportunity as well.

I am looking forward to it because I am ambitious, I want to challenge myself and I love to put myself under pressure. I am itching to get involved somewhere in some capacity and hopefully, in a few years’ time, I will be in a position where I can put all of this to the test.

Phil Jones was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.